CHANDIGARH, May 1: The death of Kamlesh, a young birde from Mansa allegedly at the hands of her in-laws for bringing in insufficient dowry, angered her town's people so much that 2,000 of them chartered buses to go to a protest demonstration at the husband's town, Gidderbaha.

When they reached Gidderbaha on April 27 to protest against the death and to seek the arrest of the culprits, they were lathicharged by police and fired upon by the muncipal committee president Ashok Dhir's supporters.

Dhir is said to be close to Kamlesh's husband Surinder Kumar's family. Talking to reporters here today members of an action committee formed to carry on the struggle alleged that Kamlesh was strangled to death and then burnt by Surinder, her brother-in-law Ashok Kumar and sister-in-law Sudesh Rani on April 20.

They said the police was hesitant to proceed in the matter despite an FIR registered on the day of the incident against the victim's husband, brother-in-law and sister-in-law. If the culprits were not arrested by Saturday, the citizens said, they would go on a hunger strike at Mansa and Chandigarh.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.